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News24 - Fives ups and five downs: Individuals who have risen and slid in the 2018/2019 season
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It has been an extraordinary season in the Premier League with highs and lows for players and managers alike. Here, we pick out five individuals who were on the rise in the 2018-19 season and five who were on the way down. On The Up Virgil van Dijk Eyebrows were raised when Liverpool paid Southampton £75million for Van Dijk in January 2018 – a world record fee for a defender. No more. The Dutch centre-half was the rock on which Liverpool built their assault on domestic and European glory, so impressive in fact that he became the first defender since John Terry in 2007 to be named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year. Raheem Sterling Topping his 2017-18 season was a daunting exercise for Sterling. Jermaine Jenas thinks Maguire is better than De Ligt Gareth Bale has been named as the richest British footballer Barca fan films himself sitting with Liverpool supporters at Anfield But the England winger did just that with another 20-plus goal campaign in which he became central to Pep Guardiola’s plans for domestic dominance. Sterling also emerged as a leader in football’s fight against racism, his courage off the field helping those looking to clean up the game. Nuno Espirito Santo Wolves were a breath of fresh air on their return to the Premier League. Yes, they were bankrolled by wealthy Chinese owners and benefited from their links with super-agent Jorge Mendes, but boss Nuno was the architect of some terrific football as Wolves finished the ‘best of the rest’ in seventh. A rare regret was missing out on an FA Cup final appearance as a 2-0 semi-final lead against Watford was lost. Declan Rice The young West Ham midfielder started the season as a Republic of Ireland international and finished it as an England player. Rice had to face a backlash from Republic fans and some of his former teammates after choosing to play for the land of his birth, but it did not impact his form as he became a mainstay of an improving Hammers side, won England recognition, and was regularly linked to top-six clubs. Javi Gracia The softly-spoken Spaniard bucked the Watford trend by lasting more than 12 months at Vicarage Road. It was not difficult to see why as Gracia recruited well and his high-energy football produced results. Watford improved on last season’s 14th-placed finish and reached the FA Cup final into the bargain. No wonder that Gracia, the ninth Watford manager appointed since 2012, was signed up on a long deal until 2023. One The Slide Jose Mourinho Third season syndrome struck again for Mourinho as the Portuguese’s reign at Manchester United turned toxic. Mourinho fell out with star man Paul Pogba and others after complaining that he had been let down by the hierarchy over summer transfer funds. United were off the pace and a parting of the ways came after another defeat at Liverpool in December, raising the question whether the Premier League would ever see Mourinho again. Claudio Ranieri There was
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